A group, the Network on Police Reform in Nigeria (NOPRIN), has appealed to the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari to revisit all abandoned police reports with a view to harmonise them for effective implementation.
The group called on the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption headed by Prof. Itse Sagay to harmonise the reports of both the Presidential Committees on Police Reform and the Civil Society in order to tackle the problems bedevilling the police once and for all.
According to Mr Okechukwu Nwanguma, the National Coordinator of the group, the political will to implement the recommendations of the various reports was the biggest impediment to a lasting solution to problems in the police force.
He said: “Reports are shelved soon after they are submitted to the President, and another committee is set up by the next administration in response to a new incident or development.
“Setting up police reform committees seemed to have become a means by which successive administrations distribute patronage, amounting to a waste of time and public resources.”
Nwanguma specifically identified the Jonathan administration’s Presidential Reform Committee chaired by retired Deputy Inspector general of Police, Mr. Parry Osayande as providing a blueprint for police reforms.
“It was our hope that the recommendations of the Panel, which drew heavily from major voices in civil society, will complement those of Mr. Osayande’s Committee in guiding the Government in its efforts to reposition and transform the Nigeria Police into an effective and accountable public service institution,” he stressed.
He called on President Buhari not to miss his chance to create a virile and effective police force, by speedily harmonising and implementing the reports.